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THE EVERETT ADVOCATE – FRIDAY, JUNE 11, 2021 Page 25 Beacon Hill Roll Call By Bob Katzen A note from Bob Katzen, Publisher of Beacon Hill Roll Call: Join me this Sunday night and every Sunday night between 5 p.m. and 8 p.m. for my talk show “The Bob Katzen Baby Boomer and Gen X Show.” Jump in my time capsule and come back to the simpler days of the 1950s, 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. There are many ways you can listen to the show from anywhere in the world: If you have a smart speaker, simply say, “Play WMEX on Audacy.com” Download the free Audacy app on your smartphone or tablet Listen online at www.wmexboston.com Or tune into 1510 AM if you have an AM radio. Visit us at www.bobkatzenshow.com THE HOUSE AND SENATE: Beacon Hill Roll Call records local senators’ votes on roll calls from recent debate on the Senate version of a $47.72 billion fiscal 2022 budget. There were no roll calls in the House or Senate last week. MASSHEALTH MUST REPORT BED HOLDS (S 3) Senate 39-0, approved an amendment that would require MassHealth to report data to the Legislature relating to medical and non-medical leave of absence days, known as bed holds, for nursing home residents. The data would include the number of residents on a leave of absence, monthly capacity levels per nursing home, the total number of empty beds and the average MassHealth payment rate per resident. MassHealth is the state’s Medicaid program that provides healthcare for low-income and disabled persons. Amendment supporters said the bed hold policy is an essential protection for MassHealth nursing home residents who leave the nursing home for a hospital stay or to visit with family and allows them to return to their same bed. They noted the program’s goal is to protect nursing home residents, especially those with dementia, from the confusion and trauma that might result if they were forced to move to a new room and a new bed after a short absence. “We must ensure that vulnerable nursing home residents are provided with quality care and protected from the unnecessary trauma of returning to an unfamiliar environment following a hospital stay,” said the amendment’s sponsor Sen. Mark Montigny (D-New Bedford). “Facilities that cannot meet these basic obligations must not be allowed to operate in the commonwealth and will not survive the necessary post-COVID reforms. This data reporting is a starting point that will help ensure proper transparency and accountability in this industry.” (A “Yes” vote is for the amendment). Sen. Sal DiDomenico Yes $100,000 FOR STUDENT LOAN OMBUDSMAN (S 3) Senate 39-0, approved $100,000 to pay the salary of and advertise for the newly created position of student loan ombudsman who would serve under the attorney general as an independent mediator for student loan borrowers. “For six years, we fought for the Student Loan Borrower Bill of Rights to protect the nearly 1 million student loan borrowers across the commonwealth,” said Sen. Eric Lesser (D-Longmeadow), the sponsor of the amendment. “Since it was passed and signed into law this January, we have engaged with the Division of Banks and the Attorney General’s Office on implementation and this funding will help set up a central ombudsman’s office, to answer questions, investigate and take action on [student loan] servicers.” (A “Yes” vote is for the amendment). Sen. Sal DiDomenico Yes AUTOMATED EXTERNAL DEFIBRILLATOR (AED) IN PUBLIC SAFETY VEHICLES (S 3) Senate 39-0, approved an amendment that would provide $500,000 to fund the purchase by cities and towns of AEDs so that each police cruiser, fire engine, ambulance and other first responder vehicles will have the device available inside the vehicle. “AEDs are absolutely crucial to the mortality rate of someone experiencing a cardiac event,” said Sen. Ryan Fattman (R-Sutton) who sponsored the amendment. “In small towns found in central and western Massachusetts, like some of the ones I represent, police are often the first to respond to a 911 call, even in a medical emergency. Many municipalities do not have the resources to equip those vehicles with AEDs, which in turn allows precious moments to slip by for someone in a cardiac event. This bill establishes funding for municipalities to purchase AEDs through an AED trust fund for all safety vehicles, particularly in these smaller towns, so that this type of tragic scenario can be avoided.” (A “Yes” vote is for the amendment). Sen. Sal DiDomenico Yes HOW LONG WAS LAST WEEK’S SESSION? Beacon Hill Roll Call tracks the length of time that the House and Senate were in session each week. Many legislators say that legislative sessions are only one aspect of the Legislature’s job and that a lot of important work is done outside of the House and Senate chambers. They note that their jobs also involve committee work, research, constituent work and other matters that are important to their districts. Critics say that the Legislature does not meet regularly or long enough to debate and vote in public view on the thousands of pieces of legislation that have been filed. They note that the infrequency and brief length of sessions are misguided and lead to irresponsible late-night sessions and a mad rush to act on dozens of bills in the days immediately preceding the end of an annual session. During the week of May 31June 4, the House met for a total of two hours and 17 minutes while the Senate met for a total of 25 minutes. Mon. May 31 No House session No Senate session Tues. June 1 House 11:03 a.m. to 1:13 p.m. Senate 11:05 a.m. to 11:25 a.m. Wed. June 2 No House session No Senate session Thurs. June 3 House 11:03 a.m. to 11:10 a.m. Senate 11:13 a.m. to 11:18 a.m. Fri. June 4 No House session No Senate session Bob Katzen welcomes feedback at bob@beaconhillrollcall.com al license, Chairman Philip AnSquare Deli to offer drinks on patio this summer By Christopher Roberson T he Licensing Board, during its June 2 meeting, voted unanimously to approve a beer and wine license for The Square Deli, which will also allow for patio seating this summer. Attorney Andrew Delory, counsel for The Square Deli, said opening a patio in back of the restaurant is something owner Christopher Moreira has been planning for the past year. “We’re looking to take advantage of this opportunity this year to allow Chris and some of the other restaurants to get back up on their feet post-pandemic,” said Delory, adding that indoor seating is currently not available. “It’s very limited: There’s no intention to be any kind of bar service.” He also said partitions will be used to separate the patio from the rear parking lot and traffic on Victoria Street. In addition, Delory said Moreira has been working to improve the restaurant and recently invested $40,000 to install a new pizza oven. “Chris is a proven operator; he’s been running the deli since 2009,” said Delory. “He’s a staple in the square.” Although Delory said his client was requesting a seasontonelli said beer and wine licenses are only available on an annual basis. “There’s no such thing as seasonal; you won’t get a beer and wine license just for three months,” he said. However, the commission’s Administrative Assistant, Annette DeBilio, later informed Antonelli that the state is offering seasonal licenses. “This is news to me… I’m sorry,” said Antonelli. Ferry Street Grille and Karma Lounge In other news, Antonelli expressed his frustration with the owner of Ferry Street Grille. “He hasn’t been open – he’s making no attempt – he’s holding a pocket license,” said Antonelli. “COVID is over. Just for the record – we’re not going to be renewing his license.” However, Member Phil Arloro suggested sending a letter to Ferry Street Grille informing the owner that if he does not reopen he will be required to surrender his license. Karma Lounge was also on the agenda regarding an incident that took place on April 24. However, Attorney Mark Rotondo, counsel for Karma Lounge, said owner Varun Punj was out of town. Therefore, that discussion was postponed to the next meeting.

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